In Her Defense
by InternetJunkie
Summary: Yumiko was not weak, she knew what she wanted and what she felt, she didn't hide her feelings nor did she try to be sneaky with them; she refused to deny her love for the swordsman. It's a shame that her love barely had a chance to be felt before it was taken away.


***I don't own One Piece, or the cover photo, or any other photo found within this story.***

 **I couldn't help myself. Have this oneshot. Not set in any Arc, kind of jumps from between them but it all takes place before Thriller Bark.**

Yumiko glanced up at her captain as he screamed; her original feeling of alarm quickly dimmed when she heard the word 'island'. Immediately a continuous chant of "Food! Food! Meat! Meat!" began from the man who wore the straw hat and commanded the Thousand Sunny pirate crew, better known on the seas as the Straw Hat Pirates.

The winter island they could see on the horizon had their doctor, Tony Tony Chopper, laughing in excitement. The thought of snow always got a similar reaction from him. His small form danced and jumped in glee, and she knew that later in the night when it would undoubtedly begin snowing, he would stay up all night to make snowmen with their captain, Luffy, and their sniper, Usopp; it happened like clockwork at every winter island they came to.

"Pay attention when the greatest sharpshooter in the world is trying to teach you something, Ranger Yumi. People have often stood astonished at the power my hands hold, and in great reverence refer to me as the Great Captain Usopp!"

"Yes, Captain Usopp!" Yumiko yelled, standing at attention as the Great Liar Usopp grinned brightly, his exceedingly long nose turning up in pride. Yumi was known for letting Usopp have his fun, she never called him out on his obvious lies and in truth she enjoyed them as well as his stories, just as her sister Kaya did.

The liar and the enabler continued on their training session, Usopp working hard to help Yumiko with her long-range attacks. More often than not, the girl was the first line of attack when it came to battles but after the last fight in which Yumi was badly injured, Usopp demanded she learn how to stay further away from the danger. He was terrified he'd have to return to his home town only to tell his first love, Kaya, that he'd let her sister die on the battlefield.

Yumi would never become the last line of defense, but for her soon-to-be brother-in-law's peace of mind, she agreed to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow as well as a gun. She'd been wanting to learn anyway so as to become a better fighter altogether and as there had been many instances when the girl had managed to lose her boomerang in the heat of battle, it would be good for her to be able to have secondary weapons and the knowledge required to use them.

Later on that afternoon, when they'd docked at the new island and after they'd done their shopping, Nami struck up a conversation with Yumi, pointing out how Nami had seen the way she'd been staring at the crews swordsman. There was no shame nor embarrassment for Yumiko, she knew what she wanted out of life and she was never scared to fight for it.

"He's very beautiful, and passionate, and loyal. I'd be worried if someone didn't find him attractive." Yumi covered her eyes, hoping to give them momentary relief from the constant bright white of the snow-covered island. She could hear Nami giggle to her left, the sound soft and gentle while Franky, who had been so quiet both woman had forgotten that he was trailing after them let out a boisterous laugh.

"Little sis has a crush on the swordsman!" He boomed, causing Yumi to flinch at the loudness, her oversensitive ears often felt attacked whenever the blue-haired cyborg was involved.

"It isn't a crush Franky," the pink haired woman frowned, thinking back on memories that involved Roronoa Zoro.

* * *

 ** _A yawn broke through Yumi's lips as she cleaned Volcan, her bladed boomerang, of the drying blood of a Sea King. Her scarred hands worked tirelessly to gently scrape away the blood from the thin steel before she began to sharpen the dulling blade. Beside her, a sleeping Zoro snored, ignoring his duties of night-watch as if knowing that Yumiko would pick up the slack without complaint._**

 ** _"Oi, Zoro, wake up!" She barked, her eyes burning from lack of sleep while her partner had the pleasure of getting too much of it. Her straightened pink hair blew in the wind, tickling his face and he swatted it away without breaking his dream apart with consciousness. "Zoro! I'm tired, wake up! It's your turn to keep watch."_**

 ** _Scowling, his eyes opened into minuscule slits and he glared at the woman beside him._**

 ** _Without warning, his arms (previously crossed against his chest) grabbed hold of her and pulled her close. "If you're tired, sleep," were the only words he spoke as he quickly closed his again._**

 ** _Yumi blinked, her back straining at the uncomfortable position she was in with her bottom half sitting with her legs crossed, her abdomen stretched across empty space that had previously acted as a wall between her and the swordsman while her top half rested against his chest and shoulder. Sighing, she shrugged._**

 ** _If you can't beat them, join them._**

 ** _Unfurling her legs, she scooted closer to the green-haired man, grunting as her hair got caught in his earrings. She deftly untangled the two before putting her boomerang into it's holster before running one arm to wrap around the mans back and placing her other hand under her head so it acted as a small barrier between it and his chest._**

 ** _She fell asleep without issue._**

* * *

 ** _Volcan slammed back into her gloved hand, it's blade making another small nick in the steel plate that protected her palm from it's vicious attack before she wrapped her fingers around it and whipped around, bringing her weapon across the chest of a man who had made a move to grab her from behind._**

 ** _The sounds of fighting hurt her ears and made it hard to concentrate but still she continued on, throwing her boomerang with expert hands and watching as it sliced through skin, sinew and bone without fail before turning back and making it's way towards it's owner, a gleeful shine to the blade despite the blood covering it almost as if it was happy to taste human flesh once more._**

 ** _From the corner of her eyes she could see Zoro and Sanji fighting their own crowd. The chef was on his hands, spinning as his feet connected with anything in their way. Zoro only had two of his swords out, obviously not considering the men who were attacking them as worthy of his full force. Luffy could be heard behind her, knocking down multiple men with his Gomu Gomu no Gatling, and sending many of them flying towards the girl who simply ducked as if she knew they were coming towards her without turning her head in the least._**

 ** _Nami stayed near the Going Merry, their ship before the Thousand Sunny, only attacking when absolutely necessary while Usopp stood on the figurehead, using his slingshot to cast rotten eggs and tabasco balls down on their enemies, his laughter rivaling that of any evil scientist. It was in those moments, where Usopp found his courage that Yumiko could truly see how her sister Kaya had fallen in love with the long-nosed boy. His eyes shined with mischief and he attacked with unparalleled accuracy that only as true sharpshooter could manage._**

 ** _A hand gripping her long pink hair and a dagger piercing through her back jolted her out of her own mind; she'd been too distracted by her nakama and how they were fairing in the fight that she'd forgotten to pay attention to her own opponents._**

 ** _Time seemed to freeze as Usopp met her startled aquamarine gaze, his lips opening to scream out her name but she didn't hear him, her own blood rushing through her veins were all her oversensitive ears could manage to listen to._**

 ** _Zoro heard the heartbreaking scream of Usopp, his eyes darting to the last place he'd seen the pink-haired woman. He froze, nearly getting his head severed from his neck as he saw the cowardly man who had Yumi's hair wrapped around one hand while his other stabbed her in the back. In seconds he had slaughtered every enemy in a twenty foot radius from him, and the man who had Yumiko in his clutches had lost both of his hands before his head went rolling down the hill and far away from his body. He never even had a chance to scream._**

 ** _The swordsman caught the young girl as she fell to her knees, she did not scream in pain, she did not cry, when her mouth opened it was with a sound he never expected to hear in such a serious moment._**

 ** _The woman laughed, blood bubbling lightly past her lips as she chuckled._**

 ** _"How stupid of me to lose focus so easily."_**

 _*Nowhere special, the Grandline*_ ****

 ** _As Yumi rested in bed with a book in her hand, her eyes swept across the pages without truly paying attention to what the story was about. Her mind was focused on Zoro who slept in the bed with her. While one hand held the book, the other ran through his short hair as he snored relentlessly. Her back twinged as she shifted, her mind wandering towards her own stupidity, it had almost gotten her killed a few days ago and it would have if not for Zoro's and Choppers quick actions._**

 ** _Scars on the back were a swordsman's shame._**

 ** _A frown worked it's way onto her otherwise beautiful face as the words he'd spoken to Dracule Mihawk so long ago popped into her mind. She wasn't a swordsman but to be stabbed in the back while her focus was elsewhere was embarrassing to be sure. Sighing, she set her book aside and turned her back to Zoro as she lay down completely on her bed. Zoro seemed to sense that she was ready to sleep and wrapped his muscled arms around her from behind, managing to avoid her wound despite his slumbering. She raised her head, settling it more comfortably on his arm while she grabbed his other unoccupied hand with both of her own and held it against her chest, as if she were cuddling an animal instead of a hand._**

 ** _Their fingers intertwined without either of them realizing it and it didn't take long at all for the woman to follow the man into a deep sleep._**

* * *

"It's love." Yumiko spoke, sounding sure of herself as she looked to the cyborg and orange-haired Nami in front of her.

Yumi's best friend, Usopp, stumbled upon them in that moment, his brown eyes glancing over a smiling Nami with tears and stars in her eyes while Franky was blinking a ridiculous amount as if he had something in his eye that he was trying desperately to get out.

"What's going on?"

She shrugged, throwing her arm over his shoulders and leading him away from the other two. "I was just telling them that I didn't have a crush on Zoro-"

"Yes you do," He cut her off in the middle of her explanation so that he could state the obvious. Even Luffy, as dense as he was, could piece the facts together.

"It's not a crush, it's love," she stated once more, feeling agitated that she had to repeat herself. She knew how she felt, she didn't need those who ignored their own feelings to tell her. Nami loves Luffy, Usopp loves Kaya, Sanji loves mermaids and generally anything else with feminine features and great tits, Robin loves Franky and she loves Zoro. Simple as that.

It was easy to see and easy to admit, at least for the young pink-haired woman.

Usopp, usually never missing a chance to make a joke or use an opening to begin telling one of his embellished stories, kept walking quietly beside her. Yumi didn't mind, she knew thoughts had to be whirling through his head, thinking of ways that it could go wrong for his soon to be sister-in-law but he thought of none if his silence was anything to go by.

Zoro was a good man, and it was obvious that he had quite the soft-spot for Yumi as well, and if nothing else, he could protect her like no-one else on their planet. He was one of the strongest fighters, save Luffy, that he had ever seen.

"Good."

* * *

Three days later found the Straw Hat Crew on the waters once more, their log pose had set and was leading them to their next great adventure. Chopper was saddened to see the winter island leave his view, the weather began warming up once more leaving the reindeer to find other ways of staying cool.

His hooves stomped on the wooden deck as he went to the storage closet, hoping to find that some of the snow he'd packed in there was still unmelted, but the moment the door opened up he found a puddle of water and sitting in the midst of it were two of his nakama, Zoro and Yumiko, somehow managing to sleep in his melted snow as if it didn't bother them at all.

Sighing, the reindeer shut the door and went back to rest in the garden, at least under Nami's tangerine trees it stayed cooler than anywhere else.

"Is he gone," a voice whispered from inside the storage closet, the voice decidedly feminine.

"Mhm," Zoro muttered, his eyes remained closed as he listened to the woman shift beside him. Without further adieu she took a package that was hiding behind Zoro's back and opened it up, smiling in anticipation of breaking into the small box. It was hard to hide such a thing from her crew, what with Luffy's nose being able to hunt down even the smallest piece of meat and Chopper's sensitive nose being just as much of an issue.

Not to mention, if Sanji found out she had taken some food from his kitchen and cooked it using his utensils, he'd be upset, especially once he found out that she'd done it for Zoro.

She popped the box open, setting it in his lap before standing up in the closet and moving around many empty cleaning supply bottles until she found her stash of sake, something she'd put up weeks ago in order to begin preparing for this day.

"Happy birthday, Zoro." She knelt down beside him, his eyes still closed and let her lips meet his in their very first kiss. Sure, they'd slept in the same bed, woken up tangled together but never had they kissed or done anything particularly romantic besides sleep together, in a non-lover kind of way. When their lips parted, she leaned away and turned back to the food, not necessarily interested in it but trying to draw her mind away from what had just transpired and whether or not Zoro wanted it; wanted her, in the first place.

With a pop, his bottle of sake was opened and Yumi watched from the corner of her eyes as he chugged it. Was it to get the taste of her out of his mouth, or perhaps he was completely unconcerned with what her kiss had meant and only wanted his booze? The question was answered once he set the bottle back down and moved quickly to the woman's side. Liquid courage, perhaps? It was the only thought she managed before his lips were hovering over her own, a mere moment from capturing them.

His mouth tasted bitter, the sake that coated his lips burned her own but it took no time at all for Zoro to attach one of his hands to the back of her head while his other wrapped around her thin waist. A short fight for dominance ensued, though Yumi gave up after a few moments. She pressed her chest to his, letting her hands entangle around his neck and kept her eyes open for several moments to watch the swordman's expressions.

Yumiko began to pull away, stopping long enough to let her teeth nip at his lips before she stood up and moved away from the swordsman. Her lips felt swollen and her face felt hot, but neither of those dampened the high spirits she suddenly found herself. Grinning down at Zoro, Yumi licked her lips and managed to not look an idiot as she told him to enjoy his food and booze before she exited.

Near the figurehead of the Thousand Sunny stood Nami and with a spring to her step, Yumi walked towards her in order to let her know that Operation Birthday had been a grand success. She placed one pale hand on the shoulder of ships Navigator, listening as she barked orders at Luffy.

"Thank you for the idea Nami, it worked like a charm."

Nami grinned, her devilish eyes full of mischief as she stared behind her good friend. "You're welcome," was all she said as suddenly arms gripped her from behind, turning her to face towards her attacker. Green hair was all she got to see before she was hoisted towards the body the hair was attached to and carried quickly towards the bedrooms.

* * *

"Land ho!"

Grunting at the loud voice of Nami, Yumiko attempted to roll over only to be hindered by the embrace of Roronoa Zoro. Her back ached at the uncomfortable position, though it had been weeks since she'd been stabbed in the back, it was still sore and gave twinges whenever she turned a particular way.

Zoro slept easily through anything, most mornings it was a workout just to get loose of the man who seemed to keep a constant hold of the bubblegum haired woman, not that she ever complained about it. After breaking away from the swordsman, Yumi dressed in a pair of shorts and a short tank top, clasping her belt with the holster for her boomerang to herself and quickly added her leather, steel plated gloves.

She ran her hand through her recently shortened hair before shoving her feet into a pair of boots and heading out to the deck to see the island their log pose had led them to. From the shore they were facing, it looked like nothing but hills and jungles, possibly uninhabited but nobody would know for sure until they ventured out into the land.

"Wake Zoro and Luffy, you three will go make sure the island is safe for the rest of us."

Nodding, the ships Ranger thought back to why they had the rule after months of traveling where the entire crew would jump ship and explore the island together, fearlessly (except for Usopp). It had perhaps began after the Fighting Giants, before they'd met Chopper and befriended him and the rule had been solidified after a man from Drum Island, Chopper's home, had shot their temporary nakama Princess Vivi.

Zoro, Luffy and she were the strongest fighters on the ship, besides Sanji, who would stay on the ship with Franky in order to protect Nami, Chopper, Usopp and Robin as well as the Thousand Sunny. The woman woke up her captain and the first mate, informing them of their jobs once they landed. Zoro complained for several moments, eager to keep sleeping, only to jump up at attention once he heard his woman saying she'd take Sanji with her instead.

He trusted the woman not to betray him but the same could not be said of the ero-cook, who jumped on any opportunity presented to flirt with any woman of the ship.

Once the ship had cast anchor, the three made their way onto the small island. Zoro kept his ears open for the sound of enemies, Yumiko kept her eyes peeled for fruits and animals that could be used as food and Luffy gave chase to a very angry rabbit through the woods, screaming about 'meat'.

It was perhaps a half hour into their trek when Zoro suddenly pushed her without any warning, causing her to stumble into a large tree while an arrow went soaring past where her head had been only a moment ago. The swordsman wasted no time in unsheathing his blades, all three before he'd even seen the enemy and determined their strength.

Yumi, following his example, pulled Volcan from its holster and got ready to throw it the moment she spotted the arrow-wielding enemy.

Another arrow soared, striking Luffy mercilessly and piercing his shoulder causing the captain of their pirate crew to cry out. He hadn't even realized they were under attack, his attention had been solely on his hunt for the rabbit.

Several more arrows flew towards them with speed unlike anything Yumiko had seen before, cluing the Straw Hats in to the fact that their were several attackers rather than the assumed one or two.

Yumi grabbed Luffy, pulling him behind the tree where they were more or less protected before breaking off the sharpened tip of the arrow as well as the feathered end of it, leaving only the shaft through his shoulder. She left it in so as not to cause unnecessary bleeding, knowing it shouldn't be done until Chopper could treat him.

She took a moment of peeking from behind her hideout to follow the trajectory of the arrows, seeing a bit of movement in several different areas of the brush covered hilltop. She didn't check to see if Zoro was all right, trusting him to take care of himself as she began darting closer to the hills, hiding behind one tree before making a dash towards another and then another.

Luffy attacked blindly and Zoro was having to follow her lead, using trees as shields until he was able to get close enough to attack. The moment she found a clear path of attack, she loosed Volcan from her finger tips and watched as it soared in it's intended direction, slicing a mans arm off cleanly before coming back to it's master. Yumi caught it with her steel plated gloves before chunking it once more to the hilltop. She watched as it soared only to be knocked out of the air by a well-aimed arrow, leaving her without her favored weapon. Huffing, the young woman pulled out a pistol and quickly clicked the safety off. It wasn't the long ranged weapon she planned to bring, but all her training with Usopp had left her without ammunition for her rifle.

With nimble steps the woman moved forward from tree to tree, only stopping momentarily as an arrow nicked her face. She wiped the warm rivulet of blood off her cheek and continued on, nearing the hills where she imagined most of the attackers were hidden. She aimed carefully at a figure standing behind a tree of their own, pausing to get her bearing before letting loose the shot and pulling the trigger. In the same instance the enemies weapon of choice pierced her arm through and through. She muffled her cry, and ducked back behind her defense.

Several minutes of fighting later was when the reinforcements came. Franky with his chained arms barreled through the area while Sanji darted off in Luffy's direction. Nami and Robin stayed close together, the orange haired girl with her Perfect Clima-Tact generating massive amounts of Cool Balls and Heat Balls while Robin concentrated; Yumiko knew it was to use her Devil Fruit powers though for what, she was unsure.

An enemy arrow pierced through Robin's leg, startling both Yumi and herself. The pink-haired girl's eyes widened as another came and struck at the navigator's shoulder. More arrows rained down, focused on the two woman who couldn't escape quick enough. Nobody could reach them in time to truly help and so Yumi did the only thing she could think of to take the focus away from the targeted women.

She charged towards the enemy, her pistol held in front of her though she wasn't able to stay still long enough to take aim. She wasn't proficient enough to shoot on the move and still hit her target, not like Usopp could. A shot echoed throughout the forest, seeming to startle the enemy as if they'd never heard the sound of gunfire before. Immediately, their aims changed; realizing quickly enough that the woman with the odd weapon was currently their most dangerous enemy. Yumi stayed close to the trees as long as she could, though the arrows did occasionally manage to hit their mark more or less. A nick here and there, enough to make Yumiko realize she was on a fool's errand.

A lone voice called out for her to stop, it sounded like the Straw Hats young doctor Chopper and if not for him, she would have run right into enemy territory and been shot down without even realizing what she'd done. Her footfalls against deadened leaves ceased their movement and she ducked behind a large tree just as another arrow soared past where her chest had been moments before.

"Back to the Sunny! Retreat!"

Her eyes widened as she heard the voice of her captain calling for a retreat for the very first time in all the months she'd known him, perhaps he realized these were simply the indigenous people of the island attempting to protect their home from invaders though Yumi knew there was no way to be certain of that.

The pink haired woman cast her aquamarine eyes towards her boomerang, its steel glinting in the sun before turning away from it and making her way back to the shore. In her peripheral vision she could easily see Sanji and Zoro doing the same though slightly faster and a bit more careless when considering the fact that there were nearly twenty bow wielding enemies behind them, still aiming for the crew. Chopper, Luffy and Franky were far ahead of the rest though Franky seemed to be lagging so as to make his way to the back. With his mostly steel body, he would be far less susceptible to damage than the rest of his crew were.

The enemies behind them ceased firing, perhaps realizing the Straw Hats attempt to flee, and for several moments the only thing that could be heard was harsh breathing and heavy footfalls against the crisp leaves of fall. Then, there was the sound of a distinct swish, a blade cutting through the air rapidly and though Zoro's blades were still out it wasn't one of his attacks. Yumi paused for a moment, trying to figure out who was attacking who, and why. Were Nami and Robin in danger again, or had she miscounted and one of her nakama were still fighting?

It took less than a second as she realized the answer was neither. Volcan, her very own weapon, slammed into her back. Aquamarine eyes widened in astonishment and fear as the force sent her to her hands and knees. Her friends, not yet realizing what had happened as she'd been in the rear continued on for several more steps before they heard the triumphant cry of an unknown male.

Yumiko had always felt pretty immortal, from the moment she'd first stepped onto the Going Merry all the way up until she'd stepped foot onto the autumn island. She, however, had never felt less ever-lasting than she did in the moment that she realized she had no control over her body any longer. Volcan entered her back and had almost completely exited the front of her; blood dripped into an ever-growing pool of vivid crimson both from the wound and the womans ruby lips.

She couldn't force herself up, or even to turn over. She felt stuck in the position she'd fallen in, knees buried in sand that was quickly becoming mud, hands digging into dirt straining to hold her weight but unmoving nonetheless. Upon the initial impact there had been pain but it was in a quick, sharp burst that had left her otherwise numb to the world. She couldn't force her head up or her lips to part in order to call for her family, or Chopper, the best doctor she knew. Her eyes stayed trained on the growing pool of blood surrounding her and though she could hear voices, those of her crewmates and family, it was as if she were underwater listening to them.

The vibrations on the ground froze, letting her know that the Straw Hats had stopped running and finally noticed the problem she currently faced. They were in danger if they came back for her but she knew without giving it much thought that there was not a chance in hell they'd leave her behind. With great strength and no small amount of determination to keep her friends safe she pushed herself off the ground and grasped the tree nearest to her. She managed one step forward before the world turned upside down and sent her crashing into Franky, who had rushed to her aid before anyone else had managed to get over their shock.

Slowly pain began to blossum along her spine and deep into her chest but Yumi did her best to push it to the back of her mind and focus on what was happening around her.

"Franky's got her, everyone get back to the ship!" Nami hollered, her eyes watching in terror as their shipwright struggled to run without jarring the mortally injured pink-haired woman. Zoro's blood sung in righteous anger, once more someone had struck the woman when her back was turned and this time with her own weapon, while she'd been retreating. The anger blocked out his fear, and he found it almost impossible listen to the navigator rather than charging back at the cowards despite the fact that he'd be struck down before he could do much in the way of revenge.

The same odd humor overcame the woman as she was delicately (or as delicately as Franky could manage) carried away from the forest and onto the shore. Perhaps it was the adrenaline that caused the wet laughter to bubble past her lips, the crusting blood falling in flakes as more, new blood replaced it.

"Don't let me die on this island, Franky. Get me back to Sunny."

"You're not going to die, don't be stupid Little Sis." Despite his words, tears raged war on his face, though unlike his usual sobbing, this was silent, in hopes that the teenage girl in his arms wouldn't notice how terrified the cyborg actually was for her life. "The reindeer will fix you right up, and your happy little swordsman will bow to me and the doctor, thanking us graciously for saving your life. Perhaps he'll feel forever indebted to us, and he'll let me enhance his arms a bit."

The idea of Zoro with robotic arms sent a spasm of weak laughter through the ranger. Even if they did manage to save her life, which was unlikely and seemed impossible with how weak she was beginning to feel, Yumi knew there was no way in the nine hells that Zoro would allow that.

"It'll never happen."

Franky glanced at the woman's face, feeling his heart skip at her closed eyes, pale face and parted lips. If it wasn't for the blood bubbling past those lips, he'd believe her to already be dead; if they didn't hurry, she wouldn't survive.

The pain faded again, quicker than she thought it would and a dull, creeping numbness spread throughout her limbs as Franky sped up, quickly making headway to the Thousand Sunny, whose outline could be seen in the distance.

"Tell Chopper.." her voice trailed off for several moments, smelling seawater and knowing that they were closing in on her home. "..it's okay. It's not... so bad. Painless and calm seren..ity."

A last rattling breath left the young girls lips moments before Franky would climb his way onto the Sunny, and though it was painless for the woman whose blood covered the cyborgs hands; the pain the crew felt radiated throughout the entire world.

"Don't let me die on this island, Franky."

* * *

With a gasp and a jolt, the woman yanked her hand away from the swordsman's arm. Turqoise eyes widened as they settled onto the face of the man who had dominated her future. Long pink hair swirled in the wind as dust flew through the air. An accidental brush of her hand against the tanned skin of a muscular man had her heart racing as the woman stared in horror at the man before her. Her back twinged at the thought of what had just transpired during the vision of hers and the swordsmans future.

"Oi, are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost," the captain of the Straw Hats waved his hand in front of her face, blocking her vision of the swordsman as Usopp, her best friend came to her side.

"Yumiko is a seer, she can see far into the future and can tell you what lies ahead for your journey." Usopp grinned at the people who had helped him save Syrup village. "She's Kaya's sister."

"Shishishi, so she's a magic mystery lady."

Though her gaze was settled on the ground, her mind was wandering back to her vision, the vision of her life, her happiness, her love, her family and her death. She had always known love, both from her parents and from her younger sister, but what she had felt in the few moments it took for her to see all those months into the future, it was like nothing she'd experienced before...imagine what it would feel like, she thought, if I experienced it in real life.

"You should join my crew!"

Her eyes met Zoro's, his body covered in bandages, just like hers was from battling the Black Cat Pirates and her eyes traveled down to the holster at her hip that housed Volcan, her bladed Boomerang. Changing the future would be disastrous, it could incur serious, world-rocking consequences so she knew her answer before she'd even put more than a minutes thought into it. Her future was worth living out if only she could re-experience that love for a few more minutes.

"I'd love to."


End file.
